


The Forgotten Colony: Vinland

by I_Want_My_Milk_Back



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Angst, Brace yourselves, Child!Iceland, Family Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Historical Hetalia, Historical References, Inspired by Roleplay/Roleplay Adaptation, M/M, NorFin, Original Hetalia Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Personal interpretation, Platonic Relationships, Sad Ending, Vinland, baby!iceland, babyice, ends in sadness, it's okay though only one person dies, seriously this aint a happy fic, young!Iceland
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:34:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28031712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_Want_My_Milk_Back/pseuds/I_Want_My_Milk_Back
Relationships: Finland & Iceland (Hetalia), Finland/Norway (Hetalia), Iceland & Norway (Hetalia), Vinland & Finland, Vinland & Iceland (Hetalia), Vinland & Norway (Hetalia)
Kudos: 4





	1. Preface and Additional Information

Very little is known about the mysterious colony of Vinland. What do we know? Vinland was founded in what is now known as eastern Canada and the Northern US by the vikings. By searching around, we believe that it was founded, specifically, by the Icelanders, Norwegians, and Finnish. For the purposes of this fanfiction, Vivike is Tino’s and Lukas’s daughter. Emil was the one who first spotted the land (in reference to the Icelander who first found it), but Tino and Lukas settled it. Many people say that Vinland is just a young Canada, but personally, I disagree; I see Vinland as her own country, with her own culture, who existed in the same land but disappeared before Canada was created.

Here’s a link to the Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinland

Here’s a link to another useful site: https://www.canadianmysteries.ca/sites/vinland/vikinglife/indexen.html

And here’s a link to L’Anse Meadows, the current historical sight: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Anse_aux_Meadows

Note: The idea for this fic came from a historical roleplay I did with a friend of mine. She roleplayed Tino and Mathias. I was Lukas, Emil, and Vivike. A good friend of ours roleplayed Berwald.

Extra Note: This book is NorFin central! Yes, I understand that the most common ships are DenNor and SuFin. And believe me, I ship those! A lot! DenNor is actually one of my (many) OTPs. However, I also love NorFin, and because this is a historical fic, NorFin is the main ship. If I were to continue to write out this timeline, Lukas and Mathias would get together, and so would Berwald and Tino. But that happens centuries later :)

The boat I describe in chapter one is not entirely consistent with the ships that the viking-era Scandinavians used. They were usually long, relatively flat, wooden vessels, with one or two poles for sails. They didn’t have a “crow’s nest”. However, for the sake of this fic and for the sake of a tired author, I simply gave up on being historically accurate here.

If ya want, here’s a link to the Oseberg Ship in Norway’s museum: https://www.khm.uio.no/english/visit-us/viking-ship-museum/exhibitions/oseberg/an-elegant-vessel/index.html This is the ship I (tried) to use as a reference. Crow’s nests are culturally English, Scottish, and French, not Scandinavian.

Now, for a quick guide to names; because I see so many people that don’t know how to pronounce some of the more complicated Nordic names. These pronunciations are not entirely accurate, but that’s because I refuse to spend five pages talking about how to say “ø”, “ä”, and “ö” correctly.  
  
Vinland— Vivike Bondevik-Väinämöinen (Vih-VEE-kuh BON-deh-veek Veh-AIY-nah-muoy-nen)  
Finland— Tino Väinämöinen (TEE-no Veh-AIY-nah-muoy-nen)  
Norway— Lukas Bondevik (LOO-kus BON-deh-veek)  
Iceland— Emil Steilsson (EH-meel STAYL-sun)  
Sweden— Berwald Oxenstierna (BEHR-wah-ld OHKS-en-STYEHR-na)  
Denmark— Mathias Køhler (muh-TEE-us KOOE-ler)

Note: I’m not a native Finnish speaker. I don’t speak Finnish at all, actually; so Tino’s last name might be a little off. Now, for Berwald’s last name— I’ll be honest, I used the Norwegian pronunciation for “Oxenstierna”, because it ~makes more sense~ than the Swedish one. And “Väinämöinen” might just be dead wrong. That said: Sorry for any errors!

Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me, they belong to Hidekaz Himaruya, creator of the Hetalia Series. Vinland is an original character whom I created, and any resemblance to any other character, fictional or not, is unintentional.

Alright and that’s it, those are the final notes! Thank you!


	2. Vinland

The air was cool and crisp. The ocean breeze was heavy with the scent of salt and fish, and the ship rocked and swayed with the swells of the waves below his feet. The sun shone warmly on his pale hair, reflecting a halo of light around his head. 

Emil clung to the low edge of the ship, careful not to fall overboard, looking out with wide eyes.

“Emil!” Lukas’s voice cut through the noises of the ship and the sea.

Emil glanced back. “Storebror?”

“Come away from the edge,” Lukas hurried over and nudged the young boy away.

“But I’m looking for land!”

“We have a vantage point on the ship for just that purpose, now don’t we?” Lukas replied patiently. “You don’t have to almost be falling into the ocean.”

Emil sighed and scampered over to the eagle’s nest, the high point where a watcher could look out for anything. The eagle’s nest was a platform, roughly two meters high, where one could stand. He climbed the ropes and sat up there, feeling the rocking of the ship more clearly now that he was farther from the center of gravity.

The sun reflected brightly off the water and into his eyes. Emil squinted, shielding his eyes from above and below. Was that…? Yes! Land, in the distance! Just a dark blur on the horizon, barely visible—but still there.

“Land!” Emil shouted excitedly, pointing Southeast. “Storebror, Tino, look!”

“Land!” The sailors down below echoed.

“Are you sure, lillebror?” 

“Yes! Yes, I can see it!” 

The ship burst into action, people hurrying around down below. Emil stayed in the crow’s nest, watching the faint smudge of land grow steadily closer. 

Three hours later, they were disembarking on the shores of the new land. Tino immediately wandered off, and Lukas and Emil got to work helping clear the land. The air was clear and cold, the sun sitting heavily in the sky; they had maybe 2 hours to set up camp before the sun set.

Meanwhile, Tino was already searching for a personification. Although slim, there was a chance that a personification had already been formed, and he couldn’t leave a young child out in the dark!

He cut his way into the tangles of sharp vines, wading through the greenery. With the trees overhead and thick plants sprouting everywhere, the land was dark and difficult to see through. It was dramatically different from Tino’s home, where the sky stretched endlessly onward, and the crooked evergreen trees added splashes of color. 

Tino stumbled over a rock and shouted out in pain and surprise.

A voice nearby giggled. 

Tino’s eyes widened and he sat up, staring around, trying to find the source of the noise.

Nothing moved in the thick tangles of greenery. 

A long, silent moment passed.

Tino stood up and sighed, brushing himself off. “Come on, little one…” he coaxed gently. “Come on out. I have warm food back at home.”  _ Or, at least, I hope so. I hope the cooks are preparing something good _ . 

No answer.

Tino sighed. He could search through the forest for longer, but it was getting dark, and there was dinner waiting at home…

“I’ll come back tomorrow…” he called out, softly, then turned and vanished back into the forest.


	3. Vivike

Tino slipped through the impossible tangle of greenery, searching for the voice he had heard a couple days ago. He had returned to camp, and told Lukas about the laughter he’d heard. Lukas had warned him that he probably imagined it; after all, it could take several years for a personification to form. But Tino was determined.

So that was what brought him here again, today, the only day he had managed to slip away from his duties to go searching. As he stumbled over hidden roots and rocks and vines, Tino couldn’t help but think wistfully of his home… the coniferous, ever-green forests, the taiga of the North; the cold, dark winters and pleasant summer days.

There was a flash of movement to the side, there-! And a quiet giggle. Tino immediately turned toward it. “… Moi?” He called out.

No answer. Tino tried again. “Moi! My name is Tino. I’m Finland!” There was a flutter of movement—a leaf falling back into place after something disturbed it. Tino fought back a surge of fear— _it’s just a child, silly! Not a wild animal!_

There was another flicker of movement, and Tino followed it. Pushing through vines, leaves, and tripping over roots, Tino emerged into a clearing. He immediately sighed in relief, being free of the jungle-like land. And there, right in front of him, was a little girl. She looked about 3 years old, with shoulder-length pale blonde hair, the exact shade of Tino’s own hair. It was falling into her eyes. She wore a simple white slip and was barefoot, but didn’t shiver at the cold ground. Her hands twisted anxiously in her slip, and she watched Tino with wide, curious eyes.

Tino knelt down to make himself appear less threatening. “Moi,” he said gently. “Come here, Vinland, come to Isä.”

“…Isä?” She echoed softly.

Tino nodded encouragingly. “Joo, that’s me, Isä.”

“Mmm…” She made a doubtful sound.

Tino held still, trying to look as welcoming as possible. “I won’t hurt you, I promise, Vinland.”

The girl stared at him. “Vvvv… vvvvvvin… Vinland?”

Tino nodded and smiled, holding his arms out to her. “Yes, you’re Vinland! And I’m Finland, your Isä! Isn’t it fun that our names rhyme?”

Vinland nodded again, and took a few steps toward him.

Tino scooped her up and held her close to his body, trying to warm her up in the chilly air.

“Isä…” She said softly.

“Hm?”

The little girl didn’t answer. She tangled her hands into Tino’s warm coat, and snuggled closely.

Tino smiled softly at her, and headed back to the camp.

* * *

By the time Tino found the way back, the sun had set, draining the cool blue land of warmth and light. Tino stumbled several times, struggling to see through the darkness, but thankfully kept a firm grip on Vinland. Speaking of her, she had fallen fast asleep, snuggled safely in his arms. And finally—! There, up ahead, a light through the trees!

Tino stumbled into the clearing where the tents had been set up, and was immediately met with the sharp end of a sword. Tino froze, eyes wide. “Hey—!”

Lukas, holding the sword, relaxed. “Tino! I thought you were an animal. My apologies.” The Norwegian lowered the sword, observing Tino and Vinland. The firelight caught his eyes, and Tino realized with a jolt that he had been crying. “Lukas, you—”

“Nevermind that,” Lukas grumbled softly, waving off Tino’s concern. “Is that who I think it is?”

“Yes!” Tino exclaimed softly. “It’s Vinland. And be quiet, she’s asleep.”

“I see,” Lukas answered, just as quiet. He examined the little child, an almost motherly look in his eyes. “We can put her in the crib with Emil.”

Tino nodded, and hurried inside the little tent that he, Emil, and Lukas shared. He gently set Vinland down next to Emil, who yawned sleepily and latched onto the new colony. Vinland cuddled back, not even waking up.

Tino smiled at the two, then hurried back outside to where Lukas was waiting. Lukas stood by the fire in the center of the camp, watching the flames with a haunted look in his eyes.

Tino approached him hesitantly. “…Lukas?” He asked, voice wavering.

Lukas turned and faced Tino, an unusual expression on his face. It looked… bittersweet? Soft? Tino could rarely tell what Lukas was feeling. Mathias and Emil were much better at that.

“Tino…” he started, voice quiet and almost… hesitant. Tino could immediately tell that he had been doing a lot of thinking. “Vinland… this is our colony. Our child.”

Tino nodded. “Yes? We talked about that before we left Iceland searching for new land.”

“No, Tino, I’m not talking about Vinland. I’m talking about us.”

“Us? Yeah, what about us?”

Lukas scowled faintly. Tino couldn’t tell if he was angry, grumpy, or just exasperated. “Tino. Vinland is our child. What does that make us?”

Tino’s mouth opened in surprise. “… oh.” His heart stuttered in his chest, and suddenly he realized how… romantic… this night felt. It was cool but not too cold; the stars and moon glimmered in the sapphire-dark sky above; and the firelight cast a warm, rosy glow over their faces.

Lukas watched him with his dark, mysterious eyes, waiting for him to answer.

“I- um, I don’t know,” Tino stuttered out. “What do you want to be?” Fleetingly, Tino thought of Berwald; brave, strong Berwald, who was much kinder on the inside than many thought. But Berwald was behind, at home right now, and tonight, it was just them; just Tino and Lukas.

Lukas paused at Tino’s question. “Tino… I want to be more than friends.”

“…I think… I think I do too.”

Lukas’s heart leaped in joy. _Yes, yes!_ His heart cried out. The truth was, Lukas had been in love with Tino for years and years. Of course, so had Berwald. But now Tino and Lukas were here on this land together, just them, and— Lukas was brought back to the present when Tino smiled. It was a heart-warming, soul-filling, smile of unrestrained joy.

Lukas felt his own mouth lift in response to the wonderful man in front of him. And then the two were in each other’s arms, lips pressed together, in love.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, the couple was cuddled inside the tent, warm and safe and snuggled together.

Then Tino remembered something. “Lukas…?” He asked hesitantly.

“Hm?”

“Why… why were you crying earlier?”

Lukas didn’t answer for many long minutes. Tino thought he might have fallen asleep, when he finally answered.

“I saw… a vision.”

Tino made a startled noise. “A what!?”

“…a vision… a vision of Vinland.”

Tino fell silent. He didn’t know that Lukas could see visions—visions of the future? “What… what did you see?”

There was another long, long silence. “…Nothing. Nevermind.” Lukas turned over and faced away from Tino.

Tino blinked, confused and a little hurt that Lukas chose not to trust him. “Oh… alright then…” He frowned and curled up underneath their blanket, knowing that sleep would be a long time coming for both of them.


	4. Bruise

Several months had passed. The little Norse colony, Vinland, had been given a name—Vivike. Vivike Bondevik-Väinämöinen. She had grown quickly, and formed a quick, strong friendship with Emil. The two could often be found playing together in the sun-warmed fields, imitrating the chirps of birds and catching insects.

Tino watched them play, a warm grin on his face. Beside him sat Lukas, with a block of wood and a carving knife.

Tino turned his attention to his lover. “What’s that?”

Lukas shrugged, and continued carving the wood into smaller and smaller pieces.

Tino blinked. Slowly, he saw some shapes begin to emerge from the wood: two little wooden crosses. “… I thought you gave up on Christianity.” Tino asked warily.

Lukas glanced over at him. “I didn’t give up on God and faith. I gave up on the people trying to spread it through horrible means.”

Tino fell silent. He didn’t know how to reply to that.

Lukas always tended to have a somber, serious mood to him. He always seemed to be seeing beyond reality. In truth, it scared Tino a little bit; who really knew what Lukas saw and thought?

In Lukas’s mind, he was only half-focusing on the carving. He felt Tino’s warm presence right next to him, and reflected on how much the two of them had changed since they had met. Tino had appeared as a small, fearful little boy who shied away from anything new or scary. But over time, Lukas had seen his tough streak emerge. No one could survive a winter storm like the cheerful Fin could. And no one was as brave when it came to warding off bears. And over time, Lukas realized that Tino wasn’t cheerful by nature. He was cheerful by choice. And _that_ was why Lukas admired him.

Tino didn’t know that Lukas had noticed or observed any of this. He didn’t even know what Lukas thought about him. And the fact that it seemed like he was always just beyond the reach of reality… it was unsettling in more ways than one.

Then out of nowhere, Vivike screamed.

Tino’s eyes widened, and he leapt to his feet, sprinting over. “Vivike-!”

Lukas was right behind him.

Vivike was curled up on the ground, clutching her knee and crying. Little Emil sat next to her, concern and fear written across his face.

Tino knelt down beside her and grabbed her hand. “Shhh, shhh, it’s okay, little bean, I’m here.”

“M-m-my knee!” She wailed.

Lukas examined her knee. It looked like the bone had popped out of the socket. “Tsk… hold still, little one.”

“It hurts,” she sobbed, clinging to Tino. He murmured comforting words in Finnish and snuggled her, as Lukas prepared to pop the joint back in place. Lukas took a deep breath, and in one quick motion, shifted it back in with a _pop_!

Vivike screamed, and Emil whimpered and put his hands over his ears.

“I’ll take her back to the house, Tino, you’ve got Emil!” Lukas commanded. He scooped up Vivike and hurried away before Tino could reply.

Inside the house, he set Vivikie down in her cradle and held her hand. The little eight-year old held his hand tightly, whimpering and crying faintly. Lukas hummed a lullaby quietly, summoning his magic. He placed his hand over her knee, which was starting to swell and bruise up. He focused the soothing magic from his heart down his arm, and out through his hand. Vivike’s cries faded away as the magic worked to relieve her pain.

“There you are, little one,” He whispered, gently brushing her hair back.

“Thanks, Papa…” She mumbled, pouting.

Lukas pulled out the finished wooden carvings. “I have a gift to brighten your day.”

Vivike perked up. “A gift?”

Lukas showed her the two small, hand-carved wooden hair clips, both in the shape of a cross. Vivike gasped in wonder and took them. “They’re beautiful, Papa-!”

Lukas smiled at her. “I worked hard on them. I even enchanted them.”

Vivike’s little mouth opened in surprise. “With magic? You used magic?” She tucked the hair clips into her hair, one on either side of her face.

Lukas nodded. He tapped the one on her left side— “This one is enchanted with peace and comfort. As long as you are wearing it, Fear will be afraid of you, and you will always be at peace.”

Vivike grinned and giggled. “What about the other one?”

“Ah, my personal favorite. Protection. As long as you are wearing it, no outside force will be able to harm you.”

Vivike’s eyes widened. “But—how?! Didn’t that take a lot of energy? Nothing will be able to hurt me?” L

ukas fidgeted, an unusual motion from him. “Not exactly. No living creature that wishes you ill will be able to harm you.”

“Ohhhh. I’m practically invin...vin..vincible!”

“Invincible?”

“Yeah, that.”

Lukas smiled softly and ruffled her hair. “Of course. Nothing will ever hurt you while I’m near.”

Vivike closed her eyes and snuggled under her blankets for a nap. “I know, Papa. I trust you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of my outline notes was "THROW THAT FORESHADOWING IN LIKE CHOCOLATE CHIPS IN COOKIE DOUGH"
> 
> i hope i succeeded :D
> 
> side note: the writing format on ao3 makes no sense to me. I miss wattpad


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